


Cat's in the Cradle

by Mrs_N_Uzumaki, Supersidekick



Series: Cat's in the Cradle [1]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-12 08:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15991043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mrs_N_Uzumaki/pseuds/Mrs_N_Uzumaki, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supersidekick/pseuds/Supersidekick
Summary: “He thinks highly of you, you know,” May smiled at him.“God knows why,” Tony shook his head in disbelief.“Hey, you saved his life on more times than you know.”There was something in May’s eyes, something she wasn’t telling him. But it felt best to just leave it for the time being. There were enough revelations to go around today to last a lifetime.





	1. Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I’ve been wanting to write this trope for a long time and I was really inspired by the amount of Iron Dad fics out there. This is not a good idea when I have so many other opened fics (ahem, Wizards of Waverly) I haven’t gone back to (I’m sorryyyy ;_;). 
> 
> I drew huge inspiration from two of my favourite Iron Dad fic-series: "What We Are" and "Congratulations, it’s a boy". Check them out! They’re amazing!!
> 
> My story will be in two parts. Might turn it into series, if I’m bothered lol
> 
> This is my first time time writing an MCU fic in general. Go easy on me!

* * *

**Part I**

* * *

Tony couldn't help but feel a swell of pride as he watched his young intern quickly grasp the directions he had given him to tinker with high-tech machinery. Peter was a smart kid, and he was glad to have discovered him before any other tech company, especially Oscorp (he may or may not rub it in Norman's face in the next expedition of who has the most talented team of people).

Tony was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw a card poking out of the kid's (seventh? Or was it eighth?) backpack. "What's that you got there? Is it your birthday?" Tony was pretty sure it wasn't; he had a file on Peter's details. (In his defence, he had a file on every possible recruit for the team.)

"Oh, no," Peter chuckled. "It's a Mother's Day card for Aunt May. I know it's still March, but as soon as I saw this I just know Aunt May would love it."

Tony was caught off guard by this admission but his facial reaction went unnoticed by Peter. Perhaps it was the casual mention of Mother's Day that had him unsettled. It had been so long since he had reflected on the subject of his own mother, especially in front of others. He had never been one to outwardly display emotions - at least, not ones that didn't involve laughing at someone else's expense.

He covered the fleeting emotion with light banter. "Aren't you a thoughtful nephew. Can I see?"

Peter glanced up from what he was doing, showing hesitation. "Um…"

"You don't have to, of course," he quickly withdrew. After confronting him about Spider-Man, lying to the kid's aunt, flying him all the way to Germany to fight a battle he had no business being in the middle of, the least Tony could do was not cross any more boundaries than he already had.

"Sure," Peter finally said, beaming at the prospect of his mentor showing any interest in his life.

The card had a simple floral design with loopy, cursive letters spelling out, "Happy Mother's Day!" Tony flicked it open, expecting to glimpse the average vernacular of a teenage boy but was surprised to find his eyes running over the final sentence: _I hope that in the future I can maybe give you a fraction of what you have sacrificed for me throughout all of these years_.

The personal message made Tony feel as if he were intruding, reading words that he had no business being a part of. "That's-" he cleared his throat. "May would really like this."

"You think so?" Peter grinned. Though he seemed excited at the prospect of Tony praising something he had created all on his own, there was something else in his expression. It shocked the older man to see something in the teenager's face that he did not believe could have been replicated so similarly in anyone else: an earnest vulnerability, a strong urge to be noticed, liked.

"Can I…" Tony hesitated briefly. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Of course, Mr Stark."

"What do you remember about your parents?"

Peter's face fell slightly, taken aback by the sudden question. "Uh, not much I guess. They died so long ago I don't even remember what they looked like. I mean, if it weren't for pictures and stuff."

"I see. And your uncle-" he saw Peter flinch and stopped. "I'm sorry. I'm overstepping my bounds." Tony knew enough to know not to bring it up; Peter's silence on the subject had always spoken volumes.

"It's okay," Peter reassured him with slight hesitation. "My uncle was my father's brother. I was lucky to have been raised by him and May."

Tony wasn't sure if losing parents so suddenly at a young age was luck. Tony, at least, had been lucky enough to have been born into wealth and two healthy parents who hadn't died until he was an adult. (Even then, it hadn't been easy. The words he had never said to his parents that day were reminders that there would always be something missing in that part of his life, a moment he could never recreate.) And then there was this kid, who lost three parental figures before he even learned how to shave. (Internally, he bookmarked the day he had to teach him.) "That's all you remember?"

"Well, I remember May telling me they were scientists. After they died Ben didn't really like to talk about my father. May told me they had a complicated relationship."

Tony nodded. "Do you wish you knew a bit more about them?"

Peter shrugged. "Sometimes."

A moment of silence passed, then Tony saw the clock. "Golly, look at the time. You're almost late for curfew. I'll have Happy drop you off."

"Oh crap, yeah. Thanks, Mr Stark!" Peter shoved his homework into his bag and headed to the door. "See you later!"

Tony smiled fondly and thought over the information Peter told him.

xXx

The next morning, Tony jogged down to his lab, bedhead tamed and coffee in hand. After his conversation with Peter he couldn't quell his curiosity and decided to do a little digging. His phone rang several times during the search, FRIDAY insisting on answering them, but he ignored the calls and his AI. He was focused, nothing could break his concentra-

"Yes, sir." Tony heard Rhodey's voice inching closer to the lab. "I'll be sure to tell him." Rhodey hung up and glared at his friend. "Pick up your damn phone, Tony. I'm sick of playing messenger for Ross."

Tony grinned. "Good morning to you too, shnookums. What did that old goat want anyway? Wait, that was an insult to all goats."

Rhodey ignored the remark, however much he agreed with it. "Oh, I don't know, Tones. Do you remember signing a brick-sized contract involving the world's nations coming together and requiring you to answer when they call?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe I was drunk." They stared at each other and then chuckled.

"Seriously, Tony. We can't have them riding our backs again."

"If it's important, I'll know."

Rhodey was ready with a rebuttal when his eyes glazed over the screen monitor. "What're you working on?"

"Research."

"Based on…?"

Tony thought about making another snark but he decided he may as well go for the truth. He owed Rhodey that much. "Peter's parents."

"Peter as in...your intern Peter? Why on earth would you be looking at that?"

"His parents died when he was young and I thought if I could get more information about them for him…" he trailed off, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

Rhodey nodded, not making a comment. "What have you got so far?"

"So far? Nothing. Aside from a brief article about their death in _The Daily Bugle_ , it's like they never existed."

"That's odd."

"Right? The more I dig, the more mysterious it gets. And you know how I like a good puzzle, Rhodes."

"Wait, are you hacking into SHIELD's database?"

"Accessing briefly," he corrected. "I figured, if anybody has the sources to make someone disappear it would be the government, right?" The computer beeped with results. "And voilá!" Tony clicked on the two results he found - Richard and Mary Parker.

"Dang. Right on the nose, Tony. These two actually worked for SHIELD."

Their eyes scanned over the information and pictures of the two. It turned out that Richard and Mary Parker weren't just scientists, but CIA agents who started working with SHIELD the year they died. Peter had mentioned at some point that his parents died in a plane crash, but now to read that HYDRA may have been behind it all?

Tony hadn't pondered over it yet. Instead, his eyes focused on Mary... "Rhodey."

"I see it, Tony. You sure these are his parents?" he said. He may have met the kid briefly, but he could determine the fact that neither Richard nor Mary have brown eyes.

"Rhodey."

" _And_ they worked for SHIELD? I mean, what are the chances?"

"Rhodes!" That finally caught his attention.

He looked at Tony, worry overcoming him when he saw the look on his face. "What?!"

"I knew that woman."

Rhodey's jaw dropped.

"Let me rephrase that...I slept with that woman."

Rhodey would've laughed if Tony's face wasn't so serious, because _of course he did_. "How long ago?"

"Almost sixteen years. At the time, she was Fitzpatrick - before she got married, so tone down the judgment." Tony's mind wandered to the night that he had met her. New Year's Party, 2000. Mary was not a woman to forget. He remembered how she confidentially carried herself and wasn't afraid to call out on his bullshit. In a lot of ways, Mary reminded him of Pepper. If they weren't cities apart and Tony hadn't been wrapped up in his own downward spiral of self-sabotaging, a part of him entertained the idea that something would've started between them, something true.

"Jesus, Tony," Rhodey rubbed at his face, starting to put the pieces together. "You don't think... I mean, it _was_ a long time ago..." he shook his head. He always figured with his friend's ways, something like this was bound to happen. In the past, there had been a line of women who claimed they were pregnant or they were already pregnant with his Tony's child. Half of which Tony hadn't even slept with and the rest dismissed with a simple test. But this? This was an actual possibility. "What're you gonna do?"

Tony hesitated only for a short time. "FRIDAY, run a paternity test using my and Peter's DNA."

"Why do you have your intern's DNA?" Rhodey asked.

"Right away, boss."

"Of course you have your intern's DNA."

Tony ignored him.

"When would you like the results, sir?" FRIDAY asked.

"As soon as possible. When will it be ready?"

"Normally, paternity testing can take up to four to five days of lab work."

"Okay, so I have some time-"

"However, scanning and confirmation under my system will take as little as 15 minutes, sir."

Tony's heart did a little flip. "That quick, huh?" He turned to his friend. "I guess it's now or never."

Rhodey nodded. "He might not be yours?" he said, uncertain if the statement was supposed to comfort him. The waiting was beginning to feel too long in the silence.

"Come on, Rhodey. His parents worked for SHIELD and I just happen to know his mom? I wouldn't be surprised if Fury played cupid in all this."

"Could you possibly have known? Did you have any idea if-?"

"Of course not!" Tony snapped. "Jesus, if you think for one moment that I knew I would enable Peter with a suit? I would head straight to his aunt and ask her to make him stop all this crime-fighting nonsense. Focus on being a kid!"

Rhodey stared blankly at him. "Okay, you lost me there. Crime-fighting nonsense? What're you talking about?"

Crap. Tony had just outed Peter's alter ego.

A look of realisation suddenly spread across Rhodey's feature. "Wait a minute...I knew there was something about that kid! I should've guessed it from his voice. Peter's the one in that red spandex."

"It's not made of spandex," Tony retorted in offence.

"I can't believe you never told me!"

"We're all figuring out secrets today, Rhodey!"

"Results are ready, boss." The sound of FRIDAY's voice made them both jump.

Tony took a deep breath. "Lay it on me, FRI."

"Probability of paternity: 99.999997 percent. Match is not excluded as biological father."

He let out a shaky breath.

Rhodey tried to break the tension and ironically waved his arms as if he was throwing confetti, "It's a boy!"

xXx

Tony had asked FRIDAY to run the test again and again and again, just to be positive (or to let it sink in - he wasn't sure). After internally struggling on his next step, he printed off a document of the results and let Happy drive him to Queens. He wasn't sure how he was going to go about with this. Rhodey asked him when he was going to tell Peter, but Tony wasn't sure if he should even tell him. He had decided foremost to speak with the person who knew Peter best. His aunt.

How much did she know? Tony wondered. Could she have kept this information? What will be her reaction? Was she going to slap him? Keep him away from Peter?

The thought dreaded Tony before his brain could process the possibility. Even before all this...he liked the kid. He liked mentoring him because not only was he decent at heart, he had a lot of potential. When Tony looked at him he saw the future. He even, Tony thought with a chuckle, he even indulged in the idea that someday Peter could maybe take over his company after himself and Pepper.

Once he reached the familiar building in Queens, Happy moved to the other side of the car and opened the door for his distracted boss. "We're here, Tony."

"Oh, right. Thanks, Happy."

His driver closed the door. "If you don't mind me asking...what's this all about? You've been quiet the entire ride."

Tony sighed. He hadn't let anybody in on his discovery yet, not until he knew for sure if he was going to tell Peter in the first place. "I'll let you know depending how well this goes." That left Happy even more confused, but he knew better than to pry when his boss was in a mood.

Tony jogged up the stairs, each step in sync with the hammering in his heart. He made sure to breathe. He could not have an anxiety attack, not right now.

Finally, he made it to the Parkers' door. He knew Peter was at school, but it had only occurred to Tony that May might've been at work. He cursed, he wasn't sure if he would have the gall to do this again. He knocked anyway and to his surprise, May answered the door with a surprised look on her face.

"Tony! What're you doing here? Oh my God, is Peter okay? Did something happen?"

"No, no. Peter's fine. I just...can we talk?"

By the time May had finished making them tea Tony couldn't beat around the bush any longer. He handed over the results.

"What's this?" she asked, but her question was answered a few seconds later when her eyes scanned _not excluded_. She sat there, speechless.

When the silence was starting to strangle Tony, he asked, "Did you know?"

"Know what? That you, of all people, are Peter's-" she couldn't even say it. She let her brain process the information. "We weren't blind, if that's what you mean. Peter looks...well, Ben tried to have the conversation with Richard once, but he shut him down. He said he was Peter's father and that was all that mattered… Richard was a good man," she said quietly.

Tony nodded. "I don't doubt that." Yet, a part of him couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy. He was there for Peter in the beginning, and Tony was...well, God knew where. Probably in the arms of some redhead. "Look, May, I wasn't sure where to go from here. I won't say anything to Peter if you don't want me to."

May sighed. "Not like I could stop you," she said, emphasising on the documented proof between her fingers. "He deserves to know, Tony."

"I know."

"And you should give him more credit. Peter is a smart kid; he's seen the pictures and probably came to his own conclusion." She recalled a time when Peter was fairly younger and they were going through albums. He held his gaze on his parents' faces a little too long.

Tony nodded. "There's something else that you should know." He continued to explain about the information he found about the kid's parents, each detail sending May into dizzifying shock.

"I can't believe this," she muttered between her breaths. "They told Ben and I they were scientists...and now you're telling me they were agents who worked undercover for some CIA bullshit?"

"SHIELD."

"What?"

"SHIELD bullshit. They were working for the agency when they went undercover."

"And what was the name of the…" she waved her arm.

"HYDRA. They've been around since WWII...maybe even longer."

May huffed. Had Mary and Richard lied to them? Did Ben know and purposely left out these details? He should've known about his brother, right? Was he trying to protect Peter by not saying anything?

This was too much to take in, and she wasn't even related to Mary or Richard. She wondered how hard this was going to hit Peter.

May looked at the clock. "He'll be home from school soon to get his suit." One of the ground rules she went over ever since she caught him in his Spider-Man outfit. She started freaking out, which caused Peter to freak out, and the next five minutes was spent on yelling from both ends.

 _"_ _How did you even get a suit like that?"_

 _"_ _Mr Stark gave to it to me and he said it was to keep me safe-"_

 _"_ _Mr Stark did_ what _?!"_

After yelling some more through the phone towards the man responsible for the suit, powerful billionaire be damned, she finally finished venting upon realising her nephew was insistent on this Spider-Man martyr act and they all reached a compromise. One of which was keeping the suit in the apartment so he wouldn't be tempted to head straight to patrolling before finishing his homework. _School comes first_ , both her and Tony reiterated to Peter.

The silence and stillness that followed became unbearable for May. Her hands were itching for something to do, something to keep her mind at ease and decided to stroll to the kitchen and make more tea.

It wasn't long when the kettle whistled and the front door flew open to reveal a blur that just rushed through the apartment. "Peter-"

"Hey, Aunt May! Can't talk! Finished homework! Grabbing my-" he halted as he saw his mentor sitting on his recliner. "Mr Stark," Peter grinned. "What, uh, what're you doing here?"

"We need to talk," Tony said, bluntly.

The fear on Peter's face was palpable. "Are you going to take away my suit again?"

"No, it's not about - just sit."

Peter looked at May for comfort, who came over with three cups of warm tea, decaffeinated. They were all riled up as it was.

He sat on the couch opposite, alongside his aunt. "If this is about the mug I broke in the lab, I'm sorry! I know I said it was DUM-E but I panicked-"

"This isn't about the mug and I already knew. I have cameras. And you're a terrible liar. Hard to believe you're even..." _the son of CIA agents_ , he finished inwardly. But he wasn't, not completely. "This is about your parents."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed. "I swear we had this conversation just yesterday?"

"After you said you couldn't remember much, I wanted to do a little digging. At first, it was just so I could give you something that might help you remember them more, but the further I dug the harder it was to find any information on them." Peter remained silent as Tony continued. "It wasn't until I accessed SHIELD's files did I find something."

"SHIELD?"

"SHIELD is a government agency, to put it simply. They're actually behind putting the Avengers team together."

"Mr Stark, what does this have to do with my parents?"

"You see, Peter. It turns out that your parents weren't just scientists - that was also their cover. They were CIA agents who worked for SHIELD." The kid's eyes widened. Tony waited for him to say something, but he was too speechless. He may as well lay it all out. "That plane crash? Not an accident. They were working as double-agents to infiltrate HYDRA-"

"Double-agents? Like the Black Widow?"

"Yeah, kid. And when HYDRA found out...let's just say they weren't too happy."

"Oh God…" Peter mumbled through his hands. "What the fuck is even HYDRA?"

"Peter…" May rubbed his back.

"That's not important right now-"

"Not important?! I just found out that my parents were _murdered_ , Mr Stark."

"That's not all."

"Oh great, there's more? More than-more than James Bond shit and murder? That's just...terrific."

Tony was starting to regret this. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all.

"Peter," May said, rubbing his shoulders in a comforting manner. "I know this is hard, sweetheart, but hear him out. It's important."

Tony swallowed. This was it. "Her-here's the thing, Peter. I met your mother."

"What? When?"

"Almost sixteen years ago, so not long before you were born." He waited for something to click in the kid's mind. When it didn't Tony continued, "Peter, you know about my old, notorious reputation? Have you ever read about that in the papers? Not that you should've because you were way too young to indulge in tabloids…" Great, he was rambling like a teenager. "Do...Do you see when I'm getting at here?" _Come on, kid. Don't make me say the words._

"You mean how you used to, like, sleep around and stuff?" Peter mused. "I know, Ben used to try and hide that from me. What does that have to do with-" his eyes bulged suddenly when he put two and two together. "Ew! You slept with my mom? Why would you tell me that?!"

Tony almost facepalmed because, _my God_ , it still didn't click with the genius.

And then slowly, he could see the realisation dawning on Peter's face. "You… slept…with my mom." He paused, too many pieces of information fitting together like a jigsaw in his mind. _Sixteen years ago…_ "But that can't…I mean I know...I'm fifteen…"

May handed Peter the results from the table. There was a stillness in the room as both adults waited for the teen to form a reaction.

After what felt like an eternity, Peter finally turned to his mentor. In an almost accusatory tone and eerily calm manner, he asked, "Did you know?"

"Peter-"

He didn't wait for him to answer, everything thrown at the young boy in the past ten minutes was too much to take in and he could only look for an outlet before his brain exploded. He stood and exclaimed, "I need to use the bathroom." He ignored the odd looks from his aunt and mentor and locked himself in, the paternity test still in hand.

Shaking, Peter took deep breaths to hold down the nausea. When he felt as if his legs could no longer hold him he closed the toilet lid and sat with his hands in his hair, paying no mind to the scrunching piece of paper still on his left.

Tony and May allowed Peter a few moments to himself. When it had been twenty minutes and still the boy hadn't come out, they grew concerned.

May got up but Tony stopped her, "May I?"

She nodded, letting Tony take the reins on this one. After all, he was Peter's father.

Tony made it to the bathroom door and knocked lightly. "Pete? You still in there?" There was a slight shuffle but no response. "Can I come in?" Tony sighed when there was no answer. He sighed and sat close to the door, his back resting by the wall. "Talk to me, Peter. I need to know what's on your mind."

The door opened suddenly, and Tony was forced to look up. Peter sat on the wall opposite the man. Finally, he said, "How long have you known?"

"About your parents?"

"About me."

"Just this morning, that includes everything about Richard and Mary."

"But you work for SHIELD, how could you have not known before?"

"I didn't have a reason to look up your history until now." Whether to reassure himself or the kid, Tony continued, "Honestly, Peter, I had no clue about you. And I'm not saying this to blame your mother in any way. I actually commend her for making the better decision of marrying someone who had the means to raise a child. And I don't just mean financial means." Tony was a mess back then, more so than now and he had only recently got his shit together in the past couple years. He in by no means had the mental and emotional stability to even hold a baby. "She did what she thought was best, even if that meant not letting me know."

Peter appeared satisfied with the answer. He knew that Tony was right, his mother did what she thought would be best for her son. Mary just didn't know she and her husband were going to leave Peter a tragically young orphan. Still, Peter couldn't help the mild resentment seeping through the cracks, for being lied to, for missing the chance to get to know someone he was connected to when he had already lost too many people in his life. He could've had Tony by his side through everything…

At the same time, he knew it was wrong and unfair to blame someone who was gone, who wasn't here to argue their case.

After much pondering, Peter asked, "Would you have tried?"

Tony looked at the boy, who suddenly couldn't seem to look at him. "Tried what?"

"If you found out about me then would you have, I don't know, tried to be a part of my life?"

Tony's immediate response was to say, _of course I would_. But the longer he thought about it, the more he hesitated. "Honestly, Peter...I don't know." At the kid's disappointed look, he explained, "But not because I wouldn't have wanted to. There are a lot of factors involved here, factors that are in no way your fault, let me make that clear. I grew up in the limelight and it's not something I would've wanted for you. And, if I'm being honest with myself, I don't think I would've been the best role model, especially before everything." _Before Afghanistan._

It was ironic, saying it out loud, because Peter ended up idolising him anyway since the beginning. When he was making compromises with May about Peter's Spider-Man duties, she told him about the first time Peter had looked up to him. He was four years old, a time before Tony even became Iron Man. He was giving a lecture about the latest Stark Industries tech on television and apparently Peter was so mesmorised by him he refused to allow his uncle to change the channel. And when he became an actual superhero, (Tony shook his head at that, May insisted), that was the end of it. Peter couldn't stop his excitement.

He also had learned that, apparently, he had once saved him from the attack during the Stark Expo many years back.

Tony didn't believe in fate, but it was really unbelievable to have crossed paths with someone you were connected to more than once without thinking there must be some kind of cosmos shifting.

"Oh," was all Peter could say. It was like receiving a backhanded compliment.

"Look, kid, I'm not looking to replace your father, or even your uncle. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be a part of your life now. I mean to say, I want a bigger role, Pete. I want to...get to know you, for real." When the boy didn't reply, Tony got a little worried. "Would that be okay with you?"

Peter gulped. "I...yeah, I guess. I just...I need some time, Mr Stark. To figure things out."

Tony would be lying if he said he wasn't a little bit disappointed. The last time he felt like that Peter turned down the opportunity to join him at the compound. The kid had a habit of leaving him speechless, Tony thought fondly. It also made him realise just how much he actually wanted to be a part of his son's life until his son asked for more time apart. "Yeah," he shrugged, as if it was nothing. "Of course, take all the time you need."

They sat there in awkward silence, until Peter said, "I've got patrol."

Tony snapped out of whatever daze he was in. "Yes, you mentioned. Right, I'll just...I'll just be leaving." They both stood. "You have my number?" he asked, remembering he had given it to Peter after he offered him a seat at the compound. "You can call me directly, no need to bother Happy."

Peter nodded.

"Be careful." He awkwardly placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'll go," he said, feeling unsure. He met May in the living room, who had overheard everything in their small apartment.

"He thinks highly of you, you know," May smiled at him.

"God knows why," Tony shook his head in disbelief.

"Hey, you saved his life on more times than you know."

There was something in May's eyes, something she wasn't telling him. But it felt best to just leave it for the time being. There were enough revelations to go around today to last a lifetime.

May opened the door for him. "Tony?"

"Hm?" he said, turning round.

"I know this must've been a shock for you too. I just want to let you know that I appreciate you trying and Peter does too."

Tony nodded, unable to feel the same about himself.

"You can't give up either." That made him look at her. "That piece of paper? It means nothing unless you prove yourself time and time again. No matter what happens, if you want to be a part of Peter's life, you do whatever it takes to be there for him. Do you understand?"

"Yes." He did. He wouldn't, no, he _refused_ to make the same mistakes his own father did.

"Good. Eventually, everything else will fall into place. Have patience."

She was right.

But she also didn't know that patience wasn't exactly a common word in Tony's vocabulary.

* * *

**TBC**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I did a little research on Peter’s parents from the original comic books in the 60s. Turned out they were CIA agents who infiltrated Red Skull’s organisation and when he found out he had them killed in a plane crash. The only detail I fudged was Richard’s eye-colour. (And of course I had to update the timeline). 
> 
> Full disclosure: I’m no medic. I did some research on paternity tests and tried to make it as accurate as possible. If you work in this field feel free to correct any mistakes I make!
> 
> Special thanks to my wonderful beta-reader, Supersidekick (MegaLegU on ff.net), for her commitment to this fic, to the point of writing the entirety of Peter’s card just so we can pick a sentence from it. So, if you wanna know the full message on Aunt May’s card:
> 
> Happy Mother’s Day, Aunt May!  
> I know you said not to buy you any presents but a card doesn’t count, right? I just wanted to let you know, in the smallest way that I can, that I appreciate you. Maybe someday I can do that by giving you a vacation in Hawaii but for right now this all I have. I hope that in the future I can maybe give you a fraction of what you have sacrificed for me throughout all of these years.  
> Love, Peter.
> 
> Oh, if you haven’t guessed it yet the fic title is inspired by the 70s Harry Chapin song, for obvious reasons.


	2. Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Guys! I'm flabbergasted by the amount of kudos/comments/follows/reviews/hits! Thank you so so so much! It's been a while since I've been part of a big, lively fandom so finding all that feedback in my inbox was positively overwhelming. I literally talked about this with people in my life who aren't fandomers because I was just so happy.
> 
> As promised, next chapter is up!
> 
> ngl I put my fellow co-writer through the wringer on this one. Somehow, the chapter came out twice as long.

* * *

  **Part II**

* * *

Peter's first thought upon discovering everything was to tell Ned. But he knew how his best friend would react. He would get excited and think about all the opportunities this could bring them and how popular they'd be in school now, and how they could rub it in Flash's face. This wasn't something Peter wanted to hear right now, so he decided to hold off on telling Ned until he gathered his thoughts.

Peter swung across a building and landed on a nearby roof with a light thud. He sat on the edge and sighed, letting the breeze cool down his running mind.

Morning came in a cacophony of school bells and screaming students. Peter met up with Ned in their first shared class, having reached the room just in time for the pledge of allegiance to start. He ignored Ned's concerned glance as they stood. However, it was impossible to ignore his penetrating stare once they sat down.

"Hey, man," Ned greeted his friend with a fist-bump as soon as Peter turned in his seat to face him.

"Hey." As soon as their knuckles made contact, Peter let his shoulders slump forward and his forehead knocked against his desktop.

"Where've you been all weekend? I've been trying to call you." Ned attempted to peek through the gap of Peter's arms so that he could gauge his friend's reaction.

"Just busy," Peter shrugged from his facedown position. He felt guilty for being so vague; he did, after all, tell Ned pretty much everything. However, he was still processing everything himself. He wasn't ready to invite someone else into the fray with him, especially someone as eager (though well-meaning) as Ned.

"You alright, dude?"

Before Peter lost his nerve and spilled everything, their teacher stood up from her desk and began speaking about the assignment she would begin passing around.

"You'll tell me later?" Ned whispered, fully expecting that his best friend would divulge anything he had stored up.

Peter wearily nodded, not having any idea on how to stall that from happening.

xXx

In one of Ross's many private offices in lower Manhattan, morning meetings flew over Tony's head in a haze. Ross had been giving a seemingly interminable lecture about the importance of communication and a reminder that they needed to work as a team.

 _My ass_ , Tony thought. The only thing Ross wanted was control over his proposed idea of a team. And although the room was filled with people from all military and government backgrounds, he knew this was specifically directed at him. He could set up meetings or yell all he wanted, Tony wasn't going to find out the location of his team even if Ross begged. He lost any little trust he had in the man when he built that raft.

Tony snapped back into focus when he heard chairs scraping against the cherrywood floor, signalling the end of the meeting. "Well, that was very informative, Ross. Invigorating, even."

The secretary saw right through his bullshit. "Yes, I'm sure you in particular enjoyed it, with your eyes gazing straight at the wall behind me."

"What can I say? Your glowing beauty was too much for my sensitive pupils to take."

"Bite me, Tony."

"Kinky too? You're just the whole package." Tony sarcastically and none-too-gently clapped Ross on the back with his palm and moved on. Forty-five minutes being in the same room as Ross was more than enough time for Tony to want to rip his individual hair strands from his head.

He picked up his phone, intending to call Happy to pick Peter up after school, but stopped short...maybe the kid needed more time.

Tony, however, didn't. This was his son, flesh and blood; he wasn't going to let this kid slip through his fingers. Something he supposed he would have to get used to was the overstepping of boundaries. This was a father-son relationship, not a friendship. He knew that somewhere along the line he would have to be strict.

Still, he hesitated. He didn't have any experience interacting with adolescents. The past few years of his life had been occupied by a large circle of military personnel, government officials and Stark Industries employees. An even smaller circle of friends was inside that (at this point, only Happy, Rhodey and Pepper were within it). It seemed unfathomable to create a yet smaller circle, entitled 'my son'.

Tony could hear May's words in the back of his mind:

_You can't give up._

_Paper means nothing if you don't prove yourself._

_No matter what happens, you do whatever it takes to be there for him._

That was all the encouragement Tony needed.

xXx

"So are you going to talk at all today or are you going to act like you're in a silent movie?"

Peter looked up from his cafeteria food, the Meatloaf Monday special (a square hunk of the tasteless loaf, a cup of boiled carrots and a side of canned peaches), and blinked at his friend. "What?" The noisy lunchroom almost drowned out his response.

"Did I do something to make you mad at me? I'm sorry if I went ahead with that Lego set. I swear there's plenty left."

Peter smiled at him. He could never be mad at Ned, especially not over Star Wars. (He was more of a Trekkie anyway.) He could feel the guilt rising for ignoring the inquisitive looks his friend had been sending his way all morning classes.

Instead of replying, however, he reached into his pocket, looking left and right to make sure no one was paying any attention to them (not that they would anyway, being the social pariahs of Midtown Science).

He handed over a folded sheet of paper to a puzzled Ned.

"What's this?" Ned asked, unfolding the mystery of his friend's unusual behaviour. Peter didn't reply, forcing Ned to read over everything written.

Peter waited for his reaction in anticipation. He watched as his friend soaked in the meaning behind the results.

"Oh my God!" Ned yelled out, causing everyone in the lunchroom to look at them, waiting for some drama to unfold during their uneventful school day. When they realised nothing was happening they went back to their food, a few hushed words of 'loser' here and there. "Is this for real?" he whispered this time. "Are you really-? Oh my God. This is amazing! This-" he stopped when he saw that his friend didn't share his excitement. "-must be hard for you." Peter half-shrugged and half-nodded. "When did you find out?"

"Friday."

Ned wondered why Peter took so long to tell him but he couldn't be mad. A lot of things must've gone through his mind during the weekend. "How did this even...happen? I mean I know _how_ it happened but-"

Peter stopped him before his mind built an image he could not erase. "Mr. Stark did some background research."

"On you? Why?"

"I got this Mother's Day card and we ended up talking about parents…"

"Oh man," Ned shook his head, disbelief overriding his emotions. "Did Mr. Stark even know? Like, did he pay your mom off or something?"

" _If you found out about me then would you have, I don't know, tried to be a part of my life?"_

" _Honestly, Peter...I don't know."_

Peter would be lying if the thought didn't cross his mind when he was agonising over it in the bathroom, but he knew his mentor, or _Dad_ he should say, wouldn't have a reason to lie to him about this. At least he hoped. "No, he wouldn't do that."

"Wow... _wow_ , I can't even believe your life right now. Why aren't you freaking out? I'd be freaking out!"

"That ship kinda sailed, buddy," he said, slightly embarrassed of how he handled the situation when he remembered Mr Stark sitting outside waiting for him. "I've been freaking out all weekend. I'm just left with decisions to make now."

"What do you mean?"

Peter shrugged, one hand on his chin and the other moving some carrots around on his tray with his fork. He could feel his appetite dissipating. "I don't know. Like, how to deal with all of it? On top of that my parents' plane crash was sabotaged. How am I supposed to process that?"

"Wait, what?!"

Peter didn't notice his friend's reaction, focused on his turmoil. "All this time, I thought it was just one unfortunate event after another. I thought I was just unlucky that my parents were in some kind of accident. But now to learn it was all a lie. They were taken."

"By who?"

Peter sighed. "That's a whole other story, man."

"Geez, Pete. I'm so sorry," Ned said sympathetically. "So are you your mom's son? Or completely adopted?"

"Who's adopted?" a voice spoke just further away from the two, causing them to recoil in surprise. Michelle sat down and looked at them both suspiciously.

"No one," Peter said and gave Ned the 'we'll talk later' look.

Michelle snorted when the two suddenly became quiet. "Don't mind me. Continue with your latest nerd-fest." She bit into her apple, the boys looking at her like she was an odd creature.

"By the way, Michelle-" Peter started.

"MJ," she corrected.

"MJ, I can't make decathlon after school today." Michelle sent him a frightening stare.

"I gave you leeway last week; you're on a tight leash, Parker."

"I swear I wouldn't be telling you this if it wasn't important."

"Is it life or death?"

Peter's eyes shifted, recalling most of his patrol days where he helped people like the churro lady. "No," he replied quietly. "But I'll be at practise on Thursday, I promise!" She stared at him long enough to make Peter squirm uncomfortably.

Then Michelle got up suddenly and quoted, "Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day, and make me travel forth without my cloak..."

When she left, Ned said, "That girl is seriously weird."

xXx

The final bell of the day rang and Peter was finally free from school. He walked outside to find Happy waiting for him by the car. His brow rose, usually Happy or Mr Stark gave him a heads up.

"Hey, Happy," Peter said.

Happy looked curiously at the teenager. The greeting was far from miserable, but given the amount of endless enthusiasm this kid held it felt a little too glum for his spirit. "Boss wants to see you." He opened the door for him.

"Why?"

Happy wasn't used to Peter questioning any opportunity to visit his idol, but under the circumstances he could see why. "I'm pretty sure you know, kid."

Peter took a deep breath and got in the car that cost more than an entire year's worth of rent for his and May's apartment.

Happy drove out of the school parking lot and found his gaze landing on the kid at every red light, worried at his lack of earnestness at meeting with Tony.

When Tony headed back to the car after his visit in Queens, it took three left turns and an overtake before Happy couldn't take the silence anymore and pried this time about his boss's strange behaviour.

" _Is the kid alright?" he had asked, because what else could have caused Tony to drive all the way opposite his direction with no prior plans or explanation?_

_Tony looked back at him in the mirror. "If by alright you mean finding out that your life is a lie then yeah, the kid's great."_

" _What?"_

" _He's my son, Happy."_

" _What?!" he turned around abruptly._

" _Watch the road!" Tony snapped as his driver quickly turned his attention to the front, just about avoiding a beeping car._

" _What're you talking about, Tony?"_

" _This morning I found out that I met his mom not long before he was born. I put two and two together and had FRIDAY run some tests."_

_Happy didn't know what to say. "Jesus, Tony…"_

" _Took the words right out of Rhodey's mouth."_

Happy checked on the kid in the backseat once more. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Peter's attention turned from the window and towards him. "Just wondering."

"About?"

"What to say when I see him." This was the first time he was going to speak to Tony since he had found out the truth about their connection last week.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Happy," Peter replied in an almost bored tone.

"Be honest, how do you really feel about all this?"

Peter figured Tony had told his confidante about all this. "Which part? The part about my parents working for SHIELD as spies, or the fact that they were murdered? Or the part where you don't even know who you are anymore because, turns out, your father wasn't even your father at all!" he finished in a rush.

"Why don't we start with Tony? How do you think this would change anything between you two?"

Peter tried to formulate an answer but all he could come up with was a gesture of wild frustration and shrugging. "I don't know, okay? I've been thinking about it all weekend and I still don't know how to feel about all this. How am I supposed to talk to him now? How am I supposed to _address_ him? I can't very well call him _Dad_. That's weird, right?!"

Happy nodded sympathetically. "At first, yeah, it would be."

"I mean, I don't think I've ever even...used the word dad in my life."

That made Happy pause, unable to help the guilt and sadness carving his stomach. "One step at a time, huh? Maybe for now you two could just talk. Try to continue what you had and see where you go from there?"

Peter sighed. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

"Peter," he said, the serious tone in his voice holding the teen's gaze, "at the end of the day, Tony wants what's best for you, even before he realised you were his son." Happy didn't miss the way the kid flinched at the last word. "If that means you need more time to think this over, then he'll give it to you, okay?" Peter nodded. "I mean it, don't feel like you're obligated to do anything, alright?"

"Alright, Happy," Peter said, smiling genuinely for the first time in days. "Thanks."

"Anytime." He drove towards the gates of the compound and parked the car. "We're here."

Happy walked Peter to the door and left him to find Tony in the basement. He had been here a few times now, yet he still held the same amount of amazement every time he took a step inside this building. The _Avengers_ facility. This was what his childhood dreams were made of, and now he was actually here...as part of the team!

When Peter made it to his mentor's lab, Tony was on the phone. He lingered behind quietly, not wanting to disturb the busy man in case the phone call was urgent. It didn't stop him from picking up a few words, however.

"No, Pepper, I'll be okay. Really. You don't need to fly back for this...although, it would be nice to wake up next to you again...with my hands rubbin-" his smile slid from his face when he turned around and saw Peter standing awkwardly by the entrance. "Uh, I'll call you back. Yeah, he's here." A pause. "You too. Give those jackasses hell." He hung up and quickly changed his mood. "Peter! Great to see you."

"Sorry, am I interrupting-?"

"Don't be ridiculous, come on in. I'm in serious need of a second opinion and everyone else here can't seem to grasp the basics of mechanics."

Peter placed his backpack down as if it were any other day, and walked towards a table where it held a device most likely going to be attached to an Iron Man suit. "What have you got there?"

"This, young grasshopper, is the first line in nano technology. I'm working on the next big thing."

"As in nano machinery?" Peter had read about that in a _New Scientist_ article on Tony's latest MIT lecture.

Tony's face lit up. "Exactly. See?" he pointed back and forth between them. "Always in sync."

"Cool. How does it work?"

"Okay, you see the Iron Man suit, right? It's going to be constructing itself from fluid metallic material, rather than panels of metal - still with me?"

Peter nodded, unable to help a ball of excitement bouncing in his chest. This, he could do. Science was a comfortable position for him.

"It's actually not too different from your suit. I took into account what I did for the Spider-outfit and expanded it."

"Awesome! Does that mean I get to try it?"

Tony placed a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Of course! But not before I do a few test runs. This stuff attaches physically - can't have anything melting your bones now, can we?"

"I'm pretty sure I can take it better than you." At Tony's surprised look, he said, "With my healing...and stuff."

His father, (God that was weird to say), smiled at him. "I'm pretty sure you can. But that would be irresponsible of me." _Especially now that I'm learning all the ropes_ , Tony inwardly added.

"Can I have a look?"

And just like that, they fell into a semblance of their usual routine, the elephant in the room no longer suffocating the space between them. Tony figured science would be the perfect ice breaker and transition from the awkward tension. He knew the kid wouldn't resist the temptation to be a part of his latest tech and used this as an opportunity to make him feel comfortable being around him again.

They spent the next few hours bouncing ideas between one another, the thrill of coming up with more expansions for nanotech invigorating the both of them. Tony would direct and guide Peter, always making sure the kid reached his potential. Peter would come up with a brilliant solution and Tony would grasp his shoulder proudly.

One might surmise that the two could not have spent any years apart.

xXx

By the time Peter headed home, the smile on his face made his mood clear. It might've appeared creepy, smiling to himself in a train full of crowds, but he didn't care. He made science breakthroughs today with one of the smartest people in the world, nothing could bring him down, not even the weird smell coming from the person on his right.

Speaking of, Tony had insisted Happy would drop him off, but Peter didn't want to bother the driver so much.

" _Honestly, Mr Stark-"_

" _Could you at least call me Tony?"_

_Peter paused. "I'll try. Look, it's fine. I can take the subway. And you said Happy had plans."_

" _Okay, then give me a moment to clear up and I'll drop you off."_

" _No, seriously, Mr stark, I'm fine." The rejected look on the man's face made Peter feel guilty. "It's just...I don't want to make you drive me everywhere all the time-" Tony was going to insist again when Peter interrupted him. "Please?"_

_A moment later Tony relented. It wasn't like Peter wouldn't be able to take care of himself if he came across trouble. "Alright, Pete." Still, he was never happy about the kid wandering about late at night in his neighbourhood. "Be careful. Text me when you get home." He wanted to suggest lunch or dinner plans with the kid, but he didn't want to push his luck._

" _Sure thing, Mr St- I mean, Tony." When Peter reached the doorway, he turned back around. "Hey, um...would you mind...keeping this whole relation thing between just our circle for now?"_

_Tony had to agree. "Anything you want."_

" _I already told Ned, so hope that's okay."_

" _I figured you did." Tony was glad for that. Peter needed someone close to talk to just as Tony had Rhodey and Happy and Pepper. Again, he felt guilty for having more people that cared for him in his life than the kid. "Just as long as your friend doesn't go screaming to the tabloids."_

" _He wouldn't!" Peter reassured. "It's just...I thought about what you said, growing up in the limelight and an' all. I don't think I'd be able to live so openly like that either, especially if I want to keep doing my Spider-Man gig."_

" _Good. I never planned to disrupt your privacy."_

Mr Stark was right to say what he said. Even if he didn't, what was the word, claim him? Peter's life was easier away from the flashing lights and screaming photographers. That didn't mean he could help wonder what his life might've been like if he grew up with him. Not that it mattered, Mr Stark didn't even know about him then.

The subway came to his stop and he walked out with a light bounce in his step. The day ended much better than it had started and he couldn't wait to tell Aunt May all about his day with his mentor.

xXx

A few weeks went by and Tony and Peter were slowly piecing together their relationship. By the second week of the revelation, Mr Stark called him to make dinner plans that evening, offering to treat both Peter and May.

" _I want you both to come," Tony had said. "May is important in your life, which means she's important in mine. Also I can't resist that loveable spark of hers."_

" _Do I need to remind you that you're in a relationship?" Peter said, feeling easy enough to joke with him now._

" _Oh please, you don't think Pepper sneaks glances at that glorified surfer when he's around?"_

" _Mr Stark, are you talking about Thor?"_

" _It's healthy to establish that kind of trust between one another - remember that when you get a girlfriend, like that girl you're talking about? MJ?"_

" _What?! No! She's just a friend."_

" _Or boyfriend, I don't judge."_

" _Okay, I'm uncomfortable." Peter barely had the confidence to talk to May about things like this, let alone with a genius, playboy, billionaire who was once claimed to be the biggest womaniser in the Western world._

_Tony joked, "Do I need to give you the birds and the bees talk?"_

" _I'm hanging up now."_

" _Alright, Pete," he chuckled. "See you at seven."_

"You got any plans with your dad today?" Ned asked him as they walked down the busy hallway. "Man, I still can't get used to calling Tony Stark _your dad_."

"Tell me about it. But yeah, I'm joining him after school. Actually, I'm thinking - do you wanna come?"

Ned's eyes widened. "Uh, is Han Solo the coolest character in the history of Star Wars?"

"Is that a yes?"

"That's a hells yeah!"

"Don't tell me you're dragging Neddy to your treehouse." Flash's voice rang as they made their way to decathlon. After he overheard Peter excitedly boast about the Avenger's compound he got to visit, Flash mocked his story, claiming the so-called "compound" was a sad, pathetic treehouse he built just so he could feel less like a loser. "Not sure you can fit Hulk in that little compound you made up in your head."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Flash." Lately, nothing Flash said bothered him. After all, he was the son of _the_ Tony Stark, Iron Man, a freaking Avenger. Nothing Flash could say or do could change that. He turned back to Ned as they sat down behind a competing table. They were facing a prestigious school from Upstate today. "I'll text Mr Stark and let him know you're coming."

"Oh my God, does that mean he knows my name?"

Peter laughed, if only he knew just how much he was on Tony's radar after he hacked into his suit. "Oh Ned."

"Who knows your name?" MJ sat next to them, holding true to her usual knack of showing up between conversations.

"Mr Stark! And guess what? He's teaching Peter about nano technology."

"Now you're making up science terms?" Flash mocked. They all stared at him oddly. His admission into Midtown Science would forever remain a mystery.

xXx

It was getting rather late when Ned's mom had called and asked him to come home for dinner, despite Ned's begging to stay longer. Finally, Peter reassured him that Mr Stark really wouldn't mind having him back here again.

"Really?" Ned said, excitedly. "You sure? He's not angry or anything? I mean, I did hack into his tech."

"If anything, Ned, he respects you."

Ned stared at him, mouth agape. "This...is the greatest day of my life."

With a fist bump and a grin that just wouldn't yield, Ned made his way home by a begrudging Happy muttering about chauffeuring teenagers. Before he knew it, Peter was left alone in the lab to finish up his homework. He asked FRIDAY to play him some tunes and she ended up shuffling Tony's 'tinker' playlist. By the time _Highway to Hell_ was playing, Peter was boisterously singing along and air-guitaring the tune.

He swung his chair when the second chorus hit and stopped quickly when his eye caught something on his father's work desk at the corner.

"Whoa," he exhaled. "Is that an Iron Man arm?"

Without expecting a reply, Peter almost jumped at FRIDAY's response. "It is, Peter."

"Cool!" Peter stood up and approached the item.

Before he touched it, FRIDAY's voice interjected again. "That is Stark weaponry, Peter. May I suggest that it should not be touched without boss's supervision?"

"Uh, you may," Peter said, putting the arm on anyway. "Buuut come on, FRIDAY, Mr Stark wouldn't leave loaded weapons unattended, right?" He straightened his arm and pointed to the window. If it was loaded he didn't want to take the chance of blowing anything up in the room. When it didn't, Peter smiled with relief. "See, FRIDAY?" He lifted the arm again, this time around the room pretending to take down bad guys. Peter remembered a time when he had an Iron Man cosplay, a fake metal arm ready to confidently take down any villains coming his way. Now, he grinned with childlike wonder, he was holding the real thing.

He made gun noises, swinging the arm in a choreographed battle and synced it with the AC/DC rock song. "This is awes-" without warning the arm made a familiar high-pitched sound and next thing Peter knew fire flung across a whole section of the lab with deafening screeches of crashing glass and metal. He looked around in frozen shock. FRIDAY appropriately stopped the music and after a second of letting what just happened sink in, Peter muttered, "I'm so on that highway."

"Peter?!" He heard Tony from another room. "Are you okay? What was that?" The words were getting louder, which meant Mr Stark was getting closer.

"I'm fine!" he called out in an embarrassingly high note he hadn't heard in his voice since he was twelve. "Everything's fine. Don't come down!" Peter looked around frantically. "Shit!" he swore and hissed to himself, "What do I do?!"

Again, FRIDAY's voice spoke up. "I suggest you inform the boss. May I also suggest, Peter, that I told you so?"

"Thanks, FRIDAY. That's very helpful," Peter bit back at the AI, placing the arm back where he picked it up. "And FYI, Karen's so much nicer!"

In a quick attempt to clean up, Peter picked up all broken-looking items and shoved them in a nearby silver cupboard. He felt really bad for whoever was going to open those doors.

He noticed any marks on the wall and picked up random paintings, sent by fans, Mr Stark had by the kitchen. Sloppily, he used some web fluid to keep some of them stuck on the wall. By the time Tony had made it down, Peter sprinted to his desk and shoved all his homework inside his backpack.

"Pete?" Tony asked. "Everything alright?"

"Yup, all good," he said breathlessly, the guilt and dishonesty making his heart hammer against his chest. "Listen, I gotta go before my curfew sets because Aunt May will ground my ass if I miss it again-"

The silver cupboard Peter shoved broken items into whipped open and everything came out in a crash. Then the paintings he sloppily hung up sunk to the ground with a long string of web fluid still clung to the wall. It was as if they've been waiting for the right moment to bust Peter.

Tony turned to look at the mess, then to his son, awaiting an answer with an expression that Peter could only explain looked like a cross between 'explain yourself' and 'you are in so much trouble'.

Peter gulped and waited a couple of seconds to form an answer. Any answer. "For the record, I didn't think that arm was loaded!" he said hastily, pointing to the suit armour.

The shock on Tony's face was evident. "You were messing about with the Iron Man?!" he exclaimed.

"I wouldn't say messing-"

"Have you lost your mind?" Tony interrupted. "You could've killed yourself!"

"I didn't point it at _myself_ ," he said in defence. "I'm not that stupid, am I?"

"Kid, you really don't want me to answer that right now." Tony rubbed his eyes and let out a harsh breath.

Peter felt very small under his gaze, and quietly whimpered. "Please don't take my suit."

Now was so not the time for Tony to think about the fact that he had already armed Peter with his own ammunition. "Happy is waiting downstairs. And don't think May and I won't be having a discussion about this."

"I know," Peter sighed, realising his error.

"And the fact that you lie to me about it? I thought we were past this non-communication after the whole ferry incident."

"I know, okay? I'm sorry, I panicked."

Tony noticed he did a lot of that, but he could also see how bad the kid felt. "Look, Pete, powerful weapons like that? They're a big responsibility." He didn't notice the way Peter halted at his words. "I trusted you alone down here because I thought you were mature enough to handle machinery like that around you. Obviously, I was wrong."

His uncle's words echoed through his mind. Unable to help voicing them out loud Peter said, "With great power, comes great responsibility."

Tony looked up. "Yeah, exactly. That's, uh, that's actually well-said."

"It's what my uncle used to say," Peter whispered. "It's what he said to me before he died."

Tony suddenly felt like an ass. Worse, he was beginning to feel like his father. Maybe he was being too harsh. "Okay, well, nobody got hurt." He was glad that Ned wasn't here either, that would've been a big lawsuit. "May doesn't have to know about this." Peter's face lit up. "But - and this is a big but - if you mess about with any of this stuff without my permission again-"

"I won't, I promise!"

"I mean it, Peter. I'm not just saying this to be a grinch. This stuff, as cool as it obviously is, is dangerous."

"Yes, Mr Stark."

"Tony," he grouched, losing count of the amount of times he had to correct Peter. He was already sounding like his old man, he didn't need salt rubbing the wound.

"Tony. You won't regret it, I promise."

"And from now on, I'm keeping an eye on you when you're here."

Peter wanted to argue that he could be trusted, but he smartly figured now was not the time to push his luck. "Yes, sir."

"Now get going before Happy blows a gasket. That Ned kid was talking his ear off and he's in no mood to wait any longer to drop off another hyperactive teenager."

Peter hurried to the car. As soon as he stepped inside Happy didn't hesitate to voice his annoyance. "If I hear one more word about what the Avengers had for breakfast I'm going to lose it, Pete."

Peter smiled at him sheepishly and said in Ned's defence, "This was his first time. I'm sure the novelty will wear off."

"Oh, like how it wore off for you?" he retorted sarcastically. Happy made a point, and Peter didn't have the heart to tell him Ned had twice the excitement than Peter in general. "At least you stopped asking who would win in a fight between Star Trek characters and the Avengers."

"Star Wars."

"Whatever." Happy waved his arm. "And your friend is absurd. Yoda is obviously the coolest character."

Peter laughed. "Absurd but plucky, he is." Happy grinned. "And you're both wrong. Han and Yoda have nothing on Princess Leia."

"Can't argue with you there, kid. Can't argue with you there."

xXx

Peter came home to his aunt reading on the couch as he had expected. She liked to end her evenings with a good book and decaf coffee, all snuggled up in a warm blanket (a present from her late husband).

"The prodigal son returns." May grinned at him. She was starting to get used to the idea of who Peter's biological father was. It helped that she was getting to know him through meals every now and then. Tony was really proving himself by being a part of Peter's life and offering him, well, the world basically. "How was your visit?"

"Awesome, as always. I can never get used to being in that building."

"Did Ned at least wait to get inside to explode?"

"Didn't even make it to the car." They both chuckled. "I swear Happy was this close to combusting."

She mustered up some sympathy for the poor driver. Ned, as wonderfully endearing as he was, tended to overwhelm people with his bursting curiosity. "Did you eat?"

"What didn't we eat?"

May nodded in understanding. Like a newly discovered parent, Tony tended to go overboard with pleasing his kid. She was there to reel him back in when it became rather overwhelming for a homely boy like Peter. "Appetisers?"

"Yup."

"Ice cream?"

"Mm-hm."

"Pizza?"

"Of course."

"Homework?"

"Done." Peter guiltily left out the events that took place after. He took a step closer to his bedroom door when he stopped and turned back around. "Aunt May?"

"Mm?" she replied, eyes still on her book.

"I think...I may have...screwed things up with Tony."

"What?" She instantly put the book down on the table and offered a seat for her nephew. "What did he do?" she said, almost ready to pounce on the man.

"It's not him. It's me. I did something stupid and I messed with some things in his lab that I shouldn't have touched and basically almost burned the place down."

"Peter!"

"I know, okay? I already got the lecture from Tony. It's just...now he thinks I can't be trusted."

May sighed and pushed Peter's hair to the side, mentally reminding herself to give her nephew a haircut. "Well, honey, that's what happens when you misuse someone's trust. I'm not saying this to make you feel bad, but as long as you realised what you did wrong that's what matters. Because at least then you won't almost burn the place down again."

"Yeah," he fiddled with his fingers. "When Mr Stark was reprimanding me he said that I needed to be more responsible with things like this and...he sounded a lot like Uncle Ben, May." He saw the look on her face falter. May then side-hugged him.

"I miss him too." She rubbed his arm in comfort. "He would be so proud of you and the work that you're doing." She lifted his chin with her fingers. "And I know Tony is too. He wouldn't lecture you unless he wanted you to do better, Pete. And much as I'd rather not have you put yourself in danger all the time, I can sleep better knowing that someone like Tony Stark is in your corner."

Peter hugged his aunt. "Thanks, Aunt May."

"You're welcome, my darling. But don't think I won't talk to Tony about your punishment."

"Figured I had that coming." He couldn't say he wasn't disappointed, but at least he got this off his chest. After the whole Spider-Man debacle, he couldn't lie to his aunt anymore.

With a goodnight to May, Peter stood and walked into his room. He whipped out his phone, courtesy of SI because he was pretty sure he watched his father have a heart attack when he told him that he didn't have a Stark Phone.

" _Not that I don't want one," he explained. "We just can never afford one."_

_Tony, aghast, said, "I can't have my own son, heir to the Stark legacy, walking around without the latest tech in his hands. It's-it's unprecedented! A travesty!"_

" _Technically everyone thinks I'm just your intern."_

" _Oh, someone who_ works _for Stark Industries and doesn't use our tech. Worse."_

_Unashamed of taking advantage of the situation, he asked, "Can Ned have one too?"_

Ned profusely thanked him for the day Peter picked him as a colouring partner in kindergarten. Speaking of his enthused friend, Peter saw the gushing texts hadn't stopped until he was sure Ned's mom forced him to go to bed. Smiling, Peter responded to all his questions and then laid on his lower bunk, reflecting the many changes in his life.

Six weeks. That was how long it had been since Tony Stark sat in the living room and told him that he was his father. And that his parents were spies. And they infiltrated a WWII Nazi organisation. It was official, his life was straight out of an Indiana Jones film...or a modern Shakespeare drama. Maybe he and Tony should go treasure hunting in the Middle-East.

He smiled at the idea of spending more time with Tony Stark. The idol he had looked up to since he was four turned out to be _someone he was related to_. As he quoted Ned, he really couldn't believe his life.

He treasured every chance he got to spend with Tony. It took time getting used to the idea though. There was a lot of awkwardness between them and uncertainty on how to approach their dynamic now that it had changed forever. This was mostly on his end rather than Tony's. At first Peter's mind told him Tony was only feeling obligated to spend time with him just because they were related. But the more time had passed, the more he could see the man enjoying himself around him. It was obvious with the eager phone calls, mentoring, dinners, singing Bon Jovi classics in the lab and bonding over ice cream evenings.

For a long time, the pain of losing Uncle Ben seemed like it would never dissipate. Logically, Peter knew that he hadn't been the one to pull the trigger of the gun but responsibility had settled on his shoulders ever since. Something about these new interactions with Tony seemed to mend what he thought he had broken long ago.

Tony had even opened up about his mother at one point. Peter was talking excitedly about the time he went on a field trip to a famous music museum in LA and when he finally took a breath in the middle of his story, Tony suddenly said:

" _My mom would've loved you."_

Peter was so surprised hearing him speak so openly about his parents for the first time he almost forgot to finish his story. Granted, Tony still hadn't talked about his father, other than a brief scornful mention.

" _He was calculating and drunk. Not much else to him." (Unbeknownst to Peter, Tony was glad Howard wasn't around to ruin his son the way he ruined Tony.)_

Peter would be lying if he said he didn't want to know more, but he knew better than to pry into something that obviously made someone uncomfortable to talk about.

Maybe one day, he too would open up about his past.

And whatever the future held for him and Tony, Peter was happily prepared to dive into it.

His eyes started blinking heavily, sleep darkening the corners of his vision. His mind entertaining the idea of using the word _dad_ for the first time in his life.

He smiled, his last thought occupied by that fact. _I have a dad…_

* * *

**END**

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Oh my God, I haven't completed a fanfiction that wasn't a one-shot since 2007. I can see you doing the maths in your heads. Have I been at this game too long? Hell yes. Am I gonna give it up anytime soon? Hell no.
> 
> Am I going to turn this into a series? Ehh, maybe.
> 
> I should probably get back to my other opened fic first, right?
> 
> Right?
> 
> ...who am I kidding, I've already started the next part. Hold on to your butts.


End file.
